


One Love, Endless Time

by CassIchirof



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Other, Suicidal Thoughts, Tags May Change, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:27:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22392508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassIchirof/pseuds/CassIchirof
Summary: Bleach with a different approach.Can hollows have a heart, if so can they lose it?Ichigo passed a long time ago. A distraught Shirosaki and a tiny portion of the Quincy King Juhabach have lived on for centuries waiting for a chance at Ichigo's rebirth. Will he be reborn? Will Ichigo be the same person they once knew?I plan to keep the story as close to the actual anime/manga with my personal twists and characters. Thus, be warned, the story might be slightly AU and the characters can be a little OOC.
Relationships: Hollow Ichigo/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This is my first, well, pretty much my first everything (first fiction, first story, first yaoi you name it xD).  
> Here comes nothing. Hope you’ll like it!  
> For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.
> 
> WARNINGS: Somewhere along the way might contain but is not limited to include dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual content, yaoi (again xD) and some other themes not suitable for under-age readers. Read at your own risk and discretion! Please don’t hate too much if you don’t like.

#### 

Chapter I

A beautiful sunrise shone brightly, indicating the beginning of what one could call a perfect and marvelous day. The forecast the night before called forth a raining day. Still the clear and cloudless skies promised a simple and warm sunny day. There was nothing to indicate this day would be different from any other.

This same sun fell upon light blue curtains of a certain room, where a lone figure started to stir and wake up from another dreamless night. Should one look attentively upon the form of this individual, they might be surprised. For on the bed was a person so pale it might be mistaken for a ghost, not that you could see it in full since the person was wrapped in a dark blue cover. Only a head of what looked like a sleeping human was visible. A pale face was surrounded by its hair white as freshly fallen snow. The front was short and would appear it was trying to hide the paleness of the individuals’ face, but was only able to hide the owner’s eyes from view. The back was long and cascading to almost halfway the persons length.

The sun won the battle against the sleeping figure who finally decided to rise from its slumber, stretching its, now visible, lithe and muscular arms which were hugged by a loosely fit black sleeping shirt. Concluding that it was better to stand, our individual stood from its bed now fully able to stretch and pop it’s back. A slight yet pleased groan left pale lips. The, now revealed male opened his eyes. Golden mesmerizing eyes stood out from the black sea of their sclera. The male seemed to glow even lighter due to the dark clothing adorning his muscular yet slim frame. The aforementioned back shirt allowed just a small peak at the chiseled chest at its V-neck line. Strong arms with black fingernails were visible from the short sleeves and massaging the last residues of sleep from the man’s face. Robust legs were caressed by slack denim-blue trousers with white stripes on the sides. Not bad for a 6'0'' guy.

The male seemed to exude an air of depression and loneliness which was a great contrast to the sun’s efforts to radiate joy and warmth.

_‘Another day, another date crossed on an endless calendar. Sun’s up and all, but I feel numb. When was the last time I felt, well, anything? Guess it was back then, before I lost my heart. It’s been over nine hundred years now. When will I see you again, better yet will I meet you again? Will we ever find each other? Will you even be reborn? Wish I could have saved you back then. Maybe I should think of ending it. I know you’d be mad at me for thinking like this, but I’m not sure how long I can continue this way either.’_

His train of thoughts was disrupted by a knock on the door.

“Come on in Ossan.”

The opened door revealed another male. This one looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He has mid-length scruffy brown hair, pale skin (not as pale as the other person though) high cheekbones finely emphasized by his light brown stubble. At his striking 6’7 the man’s lean-built was only heightened by his attire: a white buttoned-up shirt with long sleeves, black tight-fitting slacks which hid underneath black Funtasma Gotham 109 Military Victorian knee boots. His face and posture showed nothing but a calm and stoic demeanor. Though, if you were to closely look into his blue eyes, you could see wisdom beyond his age along with twinge of what could be a bit of mayhem and sadness.

“Good morning Shirosaki. Ready for a switch in scenery?”

The now identified Shirosaki forced a smirk on his otherwise bored face.

“Is it already time to change locations? Ha! It feels like we are doing nothing else. Get somewhere, settle and move again. Well that, and getting rid of nutcase hollows.” A loud sigh escaped pale lips. “Ossan, I hate to admit it, but this is getting too repetitive. Not to mention, I… I’m not sure I want to continue like this. What’s the point?”

A concerned look passed through the stoic man followed by an exasperated exhale. “Shirosaki, must we go through this again? Need I remind you of the promise you made?”

Shirosaki gave a small anger fueled growl, but soon, too soon for the other males’ comfort, turned to a defeated and miserable frown.

“What’s the point, Ossan? He was utterly destroyed. You saw it with your own eyes. He… You know this, maybe even better than even I… _He_ is not coming back. His soul was entirely demolished and smashed into all those reiatsu particles. Nothing could possibly repair such damage and you know it! He is probably nothing but part of the reishi in this world.”

The dubbed ‘Ossan’ looked at his charge with a distraught look. He too remembered that day so long ago, the day Shirosaki became his responsibility and through the times a partner in arms. There was no pity in his eyes, only understanding, for he too lost someone precious on that accursed day. They both lost their most cherished one. Shirosaki lost his Sun. While he lost his most beloved family member. Mind you, that was not so far from the truth.

“I know you miss him. Even after all this time… I too miss him.”

“Then let me just end all of this. Will you let me go? I don’t know if it is possible at all, but maybe if I was to, you know, finish myself off, I… I could get the chance to see him again. Maybe, just maybe, we can be reunited. If nothing else, at least I won’t have to hurt anymore.”

‘Ossan’ closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He knew the whole discussion by heart. Shirosaki was, as always, undoubtedly right in this debate. It was also his life and he could do as he pleased. Still, there was always that one tread of hope he always held on to. The mere chance for _his_ rebirth. He strongly believed that he would be back one way or another. The mere fact that he himself lived and was here right now was more than enough proof to keep on holding tightly to that sliver of hope.

Breathing out he had his response. “Shirosaki, you know I could never hold you from doing as you please with your own life. However, please just consider the detail that I am still here. If there was really no possibility for his return, I can guarantee you I would not be present right now and we would not be having this conversation in the first place.”

Shirosaki crossed his arms on his chest and puffed out in slight annoyance. Yet, deep inside he felt reassured once again. He knew the circumstances which allowed Ossan to be present, not to mention ‘visible’ to the population around him. He will never admit it out loud, but he grew fond of the man, even before _his_ death. Shirosaki could still not believe they truly became partners. After all, by nature, Ossan and himself are natural enemies, created to obliterate one another. And here they are over nine hundred years of partnership. If he was not seeing this with his own eyes and experiencing it with his own senses, he would not have believed it was even possible. They were brought together by the same person they lost. Both tried and failed to protect the one person they loved beyond reason. Ossan was right though and he did make a promise, so he should really try and continue. Perhaps someday he could find closure. But that was not today.

“Fine Ossan. So, where to this time? Do we have a destination or is it another spur of the moment?”

Outwardly the older man did not show any sign that the conversation had any effect on him. But on the inside, he knew as he could not fool himself, he felt relieved. Shirosaki will still be around. Maybe it was just his selfishness that motivated the young man to continue forward. Or maybe just because Shirosaki looked so much alike to his lost ward that drove him to keep him around. Whatever the reason, he was truly glad and more at ease.

“We may end up moving a few more times in the next years. The jureichi is beginning its shifting. Though, chances are, we might go back to our roots.”

Shock was clear as day on Shirosaki’s face. Judging by Ossan’s words, they would be going back to where it all had started. A soft smile traversed his face. To think he would have ended it all before going back. He was now more than happy Ossan was good at talking him out of his dark thoughts.

“What are we waiting for? An invitation? Or is there more to this?”

The taller male inwardly chuckled. His first thought was: _‘Nothing can pass by him.’_

“Nothing at the moment that I can confirm with accuracy, Shirosaki. Though, there is a possibility more could perchance appear. You never know, right?”

Shirosaki suspiciously looked at his partner. There was something hidden there within those blue eyes. ‘Darn it all, I can never fully read him. After all this time and he is not even wearing his stupid sunglasses! There is more to this, of that I am sure. So, why does he keep it hidden? Could it be my imagination? Or is it just me being hopeful or paranoid? Whatever, I’ll get to the bottom of this sooner or later.’ His mind set-up, he was determined to start packing and figure out this new mystery.

“Very well Ossan. When are we leaving?” His notorious grin was back on his face.

The brown-haired male smirked at his companion. “Think you could be done within the next two hours? We’ve got a plane to catch up at Frankfurt airport. You might want to carry something to entertain yourself with, the flight will be about 11 hours and 10 minutes.”

The grin faltered. “Seriously, why the hell do we bother with flights and the like? We can reach wherever we want in no time with my Garganta, or with your fancy whatever you call your thingy. Worst case scenario we can just use Hirenkyaku, Shunpo or Sonido and we can get anywhere faster that with a bloody plane.”

“Things are a bit different in this time and you know it. There are borders, check-ups, documents and all kinds of laws. We can’t just come out of the blue in a new country. Besides, it would just negate the purpose of having passports and waste our current documents.”

“Yeah right. We are anyway due to making new docs within the next few years. And don’t give me that waste of passports speech. We always get the full package anyway. You just want to use the plane because we did not fly on one of those yet.”

“Since you know me so well, I assume there is no need for further explanations. Can we than cut through the chase and just figure out if you will be ready within the next two hours?”

Shirosaki just sneered and claimed he would be all packed within the hour. Not knowing that his partner had already anticipated such a response. Within the hour Shirosaki was ready, while his partner was already at the apartment door’s exit talking with the taxi driver who would take them to the airport.

Shirosaki’s previously troubled mind was relaxing through the whole drive. He was loath to admit it, but traveling the way regular humans did was always a new experience for the both of them. That experience was always different and unexpected, what with his looks and all. Some humans would be scared to death, while others would try to get into fights or arguments. One thing was for sure, it was never boring. Except this time the ride was to be over eleven hours. They had never traveled that long the human way. He was both looking forward and already pissed off by the very idea. Back when they left their original home, times were different and they did pop in and out as they pleased. As humans started with their inventions and the like, Ossan became more obsessed with what has been achieved and ‘modernized’ himself. Ossan was also the one taking care of their documents, finances and the likes. He seemed to always want to know how to use new accessories and gadgets.

Shirosaki was less inclined to all the new stuff, but he too would admit there were some really cool stuff out there. The first time he was introduced to electricity was one of those things that really blew his mind. Afterwards he became fond of electronics in general. Give him a dead computer, laptop or even an old cellphone and he would be able to re-build them from scratch. He learned he was really good with any handy-work, from electronics to carpentry. If something was broken or damaged, he could either fix it or find a way around it.

Ossan on the other hand, was better at following laws and was definitely a better cook. He even opened his own law firm back in the late 1800’s and was able to be the CEO for ‘generations’. In all of the years since he started the company, he never lost a case even once. He was and still is picky about his cases. And if he used his ‘sixth sense’ in some of the cases to assure some crazy or idiotic human was imprisoned, no one cared to notice. Shirosaki had questioned how did he stay CEO after all this time. But was sure a disguise or something was the trick Ossan used.

They’ve been alive for quite some time now. The world continued on and changed in weird ways, some for the better, some not so much. If only _he_ could have seen all this. Gloomy thoughts aside, he wondered how much the two of them were really worth. There was that bank account in Switzerland that could be passed to the ‘next of kin’ which meant they were always inheriting the money from their previous lives and added more cash from the ‘new’ lives. Names they did change from time to time. He had refused vehemently the idea of keeping their original name, but adding the number at the end of the name. Heck, by now, they could have easily reached the title of ‘The hundredth’ with several names. Not that it was important. But sometimes when there was not much to do he would be curious.

Soon they reached the airport and paid the cab. Customs at the airport, oh joy. He was sure by the time they flew there would be many individuals with sore necks from all the heads turning in their direction. His looks did attract lots of attention weather it was wanted or not. All in all, it could have been worse. He remembered there was that guy back just a few years ago trying to exorcise him. Oh, and let’s not forget those witch-hunters’ maniacs from the 1500’s. Those lunatics sure liked their fires. Not a fond memory. Europe went totally bat-shit crazy when two fanatics wrote that cursed _Malleus Maleficarum_ book. Really, like the whole witch hunting was not already bad enough, they needed a book to fuel the already burning pyres. Meh, had he really wanted, he could have gone all out just for the fun of it. That would have been fun, but the whole allure flew out the moment he realized just how much Hollow activity it would have attracted. He had a promise to keep after all.

Soon after, they boarded the plane. Both males having brought some reading material to pass the time as they were not fond of watching movies on small screens. _‘Ossan seems to be in high spirits. Guess he really wanted to fly on one of these contraptions. I really hope it won’t be way too boring. Now that I think about it, I never asked him where in the hell we are going. He only said something about going back to our roots. Did he really mean we are going back home? Or just close by? Damn. I hope we’ll be able to visit that place. It’s been forever since we’ve been there.’_

“Ossan, can you tell me which will be our destination? You only said about going back to our roots.”

“Hmm. I must confess Shirosaki, I expected the question much earlier than now. But to answer. We are going to Tokyo, Japan. Once there we will be on the move for a few years. There are some things I would like to inspect more closely. Once that is out of the way, I would like to leave the decision to you. We can stay or we can be on the move again.”

Shirosaki was speechless and surprised. He never expected Ossan to actually consider staying. Not that he missed how Ossan said he wanted to check something or things. Heh, he knew there was more to this than what the other wanted to lead him to believe. _‘Oh, well. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that. Even though he is letting me take the final decision. That’s a nice change. So far, it had been more convenient to just let him decide where to go and for how long. I’ll definitely use this chance to see that place again.’_

“Thanks, Ossan. Do I have to make a decision right away or can it wait until we finish whatever you have already planned?”

“There is absolutely no rush. We have plenty of time.” Was the confident response. _‘I’m glad I only took the one-way trip option rather than the round trip. I am almost sure the return tickets would have been wasted. I wonder if this was a good decision. Shirosaki’s been more under the weather and way too unhappy. We’ll see how things go from here on out.’_

With that final thought, Ossan resumed his reading, while occasionally glancing Shirosaki’s way. It soon became clear that his charge seemed to at least feel better. Even his reiatsu felt more at peace which in turn made him content.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone :)
> 
> Here comes Chapter II.
> 
> A special THANK YOU to all who have read the story, and an even greater Special Thanks to all who are following and gave me my very first kudos (you know who you are xD)
> 
> A friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.
> 
> WARNINGS: Somewhere along the way might contain but is not limited to include dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual content, yaoi (again xD) and some other themes not suitable for under-age reader. Read at your own risk and discretion! Please don’t hate too much if you don’t like.

#### 

Chapter II

The flight finally ended with just a few minutes of delay. Shirosaki was ecstatic to touch land again. He silently promised himself he would never again allow Ossan to drag him on such a long human transport. Six hours was the absolute maximum he would ever tolerate. At least, he had a blast with the Customs. Oh, the look on their faces was priceless. And let’s not forget Ossan’s glare; delicious! Too bad he could not take a few pictures. But he did have a photographic memory, so no harm done. He could always find ways to bug Ossan. Thinking about it, it’s been a long time since he felt the need to annoy him.

Must be the fresh air or the fact that they were back. Who knew he missed this place so much? He sure never thought about it before. After _his_ death, he could not or, maybe, did not want to be there anymore. Thus, Ossan did what he does best and dragged him all over the planet. They did spend most of their time in Europe. It was easy to slip from one place to the other and, as an added bonus, it never required too much traveling weather on a human pace or with their contraptions.

Exiting the airport Shirosaki closed his eyes, took a deep breath and softly whispered: “Tadaima.”

As thought he had been heard a gentle breeze caressed his frame, seemingly carrying with it the response he yearned to hear: “Okaeri.” Unknowingly a smile settled on his features.

Just a few steps behind stood the ever stoic Ossan. He would never admit it, not even to himself, but to see that smile on Shirosaki’s face was bliss. It was not the usual frown nor his manic grin, but a real smile. Come to think of it, this was the first smile he saw on the others’ expression since _his_ demise.

If he was unsure before, now there were no doubts, this was the right decision. He had contemplated leaving Shirosaki behind while he made his research. He did that on a few occasions in the past, not that he told him. To see an actual smile… Yes, this felt right. He would vehemently deny should one tell him that he had been tense due to not knowing what would be Shirosaki’s reaction. Unknown to either males the anxiety in their hearts lifted up and both were, for now, stress-free.

While waiting for Shirosaki to exit his calm trance, he considered the next phase of their journey. The journey ahead should not take too much time. The first stop would be Yokohama. He purchased a black Rover SD1 Vitesse with dark red outlines for their stay in Japan. As per his request, it should be parked close by. Looking around he noticed the car just a few paces on the left. Now the question was, should he call Shirosaki or let him get reacquainted with his surroundings?

He was brought out of his musing by his partners voice. “Oi, Ossan. Where to next?”

Trust Shirosaki to pull him out from him pensive mind.

“We’re going to Yokohama.” His thoughts in turmoil for the briefest of seconds. Ossan was not sure what he would find there which disturbed him to no ends. Even at this distance, he should have been able to sense them.

Shirosaki who was very familiar with Ossan’s behavior frowned. _‘There it is again, that look. He’s definitely hiding something. Heh, as long as I know he is keeping things from me, I know to be even more alert than usual.’_ He pulled out one of his smirks: “Well then, partner, let’s get on the road, ne?” He did notice how Ossan had looked at the black and red car on the left. Trust Ossan to choose those colors. Ossan had always been into black, red and white.

_‘Some things never change.’_

Still smirking, he took a firmer grip on his black and white medium sized luggage and started to drag his prone figure clad in black and white toward the Toyota. He was wearing a long white overcoat which reached to his knees, a black long-sleeved shirt with black slacks and black combat boots. Nothing better than to travel casual. Since Ossan did not follow him right away, as he normally would, he gave him one more shout to get going. Shirosaki was no mind reader, but you did not need a mentalist to know that whatever his companion was thinking about was wearing him down. Sooner or later he would find out, it was just a matter of patience and waiting. Not his strongest characteristics, but he knew Ossan well after all this time. He would get to the bottom of this mystery soon enough.

Mentioned Ossan unlocked the doors and trunk. Once their luggage was safely tucked away, they were on the move. The serene atmosphere from before was forgotten and replaced by unease which was soon broken by a hot tempered Shirosaki.

“Come on Ossan. You and I both know it’s about time you spill the beans. What are you not telling me?”

Ossan gave Shirosaki a quick glance. A scowl graced his normally stoic face followed by a quiet scoff.

“How long have you been suspecting?”

“Since the beginning. You should know better than to keep things from me.”

If you were to look closely, a fond smile warmed through Ossan’s emotionless facade.

“That is true. As I did mention in Frankfurt, I am not a hundred percent certain myself. There was this nagging feeling that was pushing me to come over. For your information, we are going to Yokohama to visit some relatives of mine.” Mentally he added _‘If they are still in one piece.’_

Shirosaki was no fool, thought the conversation seemed light, he could sense there was a tinge of impatience and worry in Ossan’s tone. His instincts were raging a storm inside of him. Something was not right and his instincts were always right. He was after all a Hollow. If there was anything Hollows understood or knew on a profound level it was instincts. This whole trip, the way Ossan mentioned his relatives. They haven’t spoken about family in quite a while. Not since the last time his daughter was reborn. _‘Could it be?’_

“Can we cut to the chase Ossan? Just tell me what’s bugging you. I am supposed to be the one irritating the hell out of you, not the other way around.” He said so, but there was no bite to his tone.

“Hmm. Very well. Remember fourteen years ago I went to a trip for a few months? I told you I was going for a business trip to the US. In reality, I came here to Yokohama.”

There was a pissed look on Shirosaki’s face, he was ready to explode, but managed to reign himself in. He was sure there was a reason for this. Ossan was not the kind of person to deceive others on purpose. He was more the kind that would make you feel at ease so much that you would willingly give your trust just by being close to him. _‘Oh, hell, would you look at that, Ossan is not a deceiver just a manipulating scoundrel.’_

On the other side, Ossan was anticipating at the very least a loud retort, at the worst a Cero. But was stunned to receive a calm “Continue.”

Since he was granted the small miracle he continued in a dull tone. “I did not tell you at the time, for I was not sure what your reaction would have been like. I… I apologize for not coming clean sooner.”

Now it was Shirosaki’s turn to be surprised. Ossan rarely, if ever apologized for something, but decided to let it be for the moment and awaited further clarification.

Seeing he would not be disturbed or mocked, Ossan took the opportunity to further elaborate.

“I came to Yokohama to find the very last branch of what used to be my large family. They knew who I was the very moment they laid their eyes on me. There was no need for introductions. They looked as though they anticipated my arrival. Anyway, you see…, she was reborn on June 9, 1968 on the very same day I came to them. You know, she is very strong… A pure-blooded Quincy. They even gave her the same name. I did not want to raise your hopes prematurely, that’s why I’ve kept this hidden until now. Her last reincarnation was, as you know, in 1896. I am not sure were aware, but on that last occasion she died at the age of only thirty-one. To find out she was reborn within such a short time span… not even fifty years… I had to make sure it really was her… You can imagine my surprise when I was proven right. Long story short, since there are no more branches to the family and she is an only child I am afraid this might be the last chance we will get.”

Shirosaki listened intently, his face showed nothing, but deep inside he was both happy and sad. Happy for his hope rose from the deepest parts of his soul, where it was buried. Sadness, for this may be the last chance at _his_ rebirth.

For the first time in centuries, he felt serene. No matter of the outcome, there would be no more pain, no more chances, no more probabilities. And perhaps, he would be able to leave and rest in peace.

His instincts were suddenly ablaze. Yet again, there was this feeling of missing puzzle pieces.

“That’s all fine and dandy Ossan, so I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you one more shot at telling me everything. I can understand why you would not share any of this before, but then why are you doing it now? Considering this will be the last one, why tell me. No! Even better, why bring me along? What’s your game here?”

A sincere smile wormed its way through Ossan’s face. _‘You really are something Shirosaki. No wonder **he** chose you. Then again, **he** used to compliment your astute and cunning observations. Something I never gave you much credit. Once more I have been proven wrong.’_

Exhaling he moved on: “I have been in close communication with her parents this time around. Some of their recent messages sparked a bit of concern. They mentioned seeing unfamiliar shadows every now and then. So far they have been blaming it on her awakening powers or general lack of control…”

“And knowing you, you believe it to be something else, right?”

“Precisely. Even should her control be non-existent, for which I am positive it’s not true, the ‘shadow’ or in this case ‘shadows’ should feel familiar, which on itself would not cause any suspicions. After all, in case her powers were responsible for the shadows, those would be infused with a small portion of her reiatsu removing any and all senses of insecurity. Just the fact they said ‘unfamiliar’ and ‘shadows’ in the same sentence was enough to warrant attention.”

“Ok, I get that. So, you want my help to snuff out any threats.”

“Exactly. I may be able to figure out the situation on my own, but it always helps to have an additional set of eyes. I was also hoping you’ll be able to judge if this is a serious matter or if it’s just my imagination.”

“Fine. However, since we are already on our way, I will assume that you already consider this to be moderately serious. I sure hope so for your own good. You know I am not fond of _hunters_. Especially not when I am to face a whole family ready to make me into their personal moving target or a pincushion.”

This time Ossan could not restrain the genuine laugh that erupted from deep within. And what a sight that was. Even before it was rare to see Ossan smile, but to see him laugh? That was a miracle only _he_ was able to pull off. Yep, he could admit it, it was not the fresh air that made them relax. It was the circumstance they were back that gave them these sensations. The laugh was short-lived, but will be memorized for a long time to come.

“I can assure you no harm will come your way. Besides it is only her and her parents. Including me, there will be a total of four _Quincy_ , not _hunters_. Don’t tell me the _dreadful_ Shirosaki is afraid?”

Shirosaki crossed his hands close to his chest. His fierce scowl back with a vengeance, mumbling something under the lines of: _“Stupid chase loving hunters with their archery OCD”_ and _“Having better things to do then being a living bullseye”_.

“I’m not afraid Ossan and you know that. But let me give you a fair warning: if they attack I will not be held responsible for the aftermath.”

“Fair enough. Then it’s a good thing I already warned them in advance of your looks and temper.”

“Aw, you’re telling me you ruined all the fun already? Shame on you Ossan. I was hoping to get at least a good warm-up before surprising them with being a _model citizen_.”

Ossan snorted goodheartedly. “You… A model citizen? Are you sure Shirosaki?”

“Oh, ha-ha. Very funny Ossan.”

“It is for me.”

For that he received a very heated glare. But not further comments. They continued their journey in relative silence as they neared Yokohama. Even though he got fairly used to the modern world and the way his surroundings changed over the ages it never stopped to amaze Shirosaki. Humans did have their own way of doing things. Last time he checked, Hueco Mundo and Soul Society remained exactly the same, at the sole difference of maybe additional trees in Hueco Mundo and some new houses (a few more or less, who would check on something so boring?) in Soul Society.

On the other hand, the World of the Living never stood still. Not for a second. There was always a new contraption, an innovative machinery and houses were, still are, in all kind of looks and shapes. Let’s not forget the colors. Compared to the other two, everything seems brighter in this world.

_‘What is it about humans and all the chaotic stuff? Is it because humans have the shortest lifespan that motivates them to do more? Or do they just like all the noise? Nah, must be something about their life and the desire to be renowned. Some want to be remembered by what they created during their time. Like architects, artist, intellectuals, musicians, poets, writers and so on. Others, whether they anticipated it or not, whether they were inclined to the idea or not, remained memorized in human history for what they achieved or did. Some of those were really messed-up, not to say bat-shit crazy. Others were ingenious. But at the end of the day, the responsible party probably felt accomplished for doing something new and up until that moment unheard or unseen.’_

_‘Just like this place. I mean just look at all the things around. Hmm, some greenery, more buildings and roads. Oh, what’s that? Ikanari restaurant, home-made meals, yum! A Gallery of some sort. White Station seriously? Was somebody messing around when they were doing the naming? A workshop. A baby-pink house, really? What kind of meds was the idiot taking when painting the house?!’_

Soon they reached a parking area. In front of them was the entrance to the Sankeien Gardens. It looked like a decent place. Ossan pulled the car on the side and instructed Shirosaki to exit.

“From this point on we are going on foot. Just a little further ahead we will reach a barricaded area. Once there, we will make a short stop as I have to lower the barrier down and re-place it.”

“You actually went through all the trouble to put such a defense mechanism? Sounds like you were anticipating something.”

Ossan just gave him a leveled glare, took is sunglasses which he put on, looked forward and stated: “No, I just did what I felt was necessary to protect the area from hollow scums that tend to roam around. Also, her reiatsu would have eventually attracted them. This was a matter of convenience.”

Shirosaki rolled his eyes and pointed to himself: “Hollow scum, just like me, eh.”

Ossan’s lowered his sunglasses and met Shirosaki’s eyes, both locked in a deep stare. “You are an exemption. Rather, the only exception. I presumed you were aware of this. Else I would have never allowed you to even enter the premises of my place when you first showed up.”

Both of them dropped their staring contest, happy to drop the subject. Shirosaki knew very well that what he said would have riled up the other. Sometimes he could not resist to get a reaction out of the elder male. And the kind words were always welcomed, not that he would confess if asked.

They simultaneously started walking forward. It did not take too much time to reach the barrier. Shirosaki had to admit, it was remarkable. He could not see it, yet he knew it was there. How could he see when it was dark like a bottomless pit? Only this was no chasm. No, it was just darkness bottom-up, like a different space. Not even animals approached the area.

“Ossan, this is impressive. How did you set this thing up again? And how did you stop the humans from going crazy? Any human to see this nothingness should have some sort of reaction.”

A smug look crossed Ossan’s face. “Secrets of the trade. To humans it just shows the end of the road which is on the other side. If they really want to pass through, they just end up there as though nothing happened. The same applies to the other side. Stand still, it’ll be down within seconds.”

Ossan slightly raised his reiatsu. Indeed, the wall of darkness lowered down. What surprised both males, was the unexpected sight in front of them.

“What the hell Ossan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Chapter II done xD
> 
> Hope you're enjoying so far.
> 
> Looking forward to any and all criticism, just please don’t hate :3
> 
> Quick reminder: English is not my mother language so let me know if I made any mistakes. Also, I am the humble (but happily nuts) writer and spellcheck person all in one.
> 
> Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone :)
> 
> Here it is – Chapter III.
> 
> I wanted to space this one out a bit more, but while posting the previous chapter I made a mistake - the story appeared 'completed' when I am far from it xD
> 
> SPECIAL WARNING: Spoiler alert for anyone who is not up to date with the manga and only watched the anime!  
>    
> Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.

#### 

Chapter III

“Seriously, what the hell?!”

To say both males were in shock would be the understatement of the century, or better yet, of their existence. For what awaited them beyond the intricate barrier was not the beautiful western-style mansion it used to be at some point. No, the sight in front of them was beyond maddening. The once enchanting gardens and stone paths that lead to the mansion were now reduced to naught but burned ground and the occasional pebble. The bushes were nothing but ashes, what remained of the path was charcoal and some of the trees were still in flames. But the mansion! The mansion, once an extraordinary masterpiece, was demolished, ruined, brought down to the ground!

Before the destruction, the mansion was star shaped in the form of a Quincy Zeichen. The walls were a light cream color adorned by marble stone and statutes. The whole mansion was a blend of baroque and renaissance.

Each wing represented a different aspect of the manor. The first and closest was, naturally, the entry. This part included the breathtaking garden and pathway as well as intricate and exceedingly decorated hallways which lead to the center of the building. The center was the point where all aisles came together and was considered the Heart of the mansion. The Heart consisted of a vast living room from which all paths opened to the rest of the house. The Heart was also the one place where everyone would gather for meetings, reunions or other events. The left side of the property was divided in two segments. The same applied to the right extension. The two left sections were separated into the living rooms of the family members and the many playrooms, studies and training rooms. The right was similarly divided and shared among the many servants in charge of the estate: the living quarters and the storage rooms for various supplies. Each storage room was dedicated for one specific need: carpentry, food storage, tools etc.

To come and discover it is such a state. You could see scattered around bits and pieces of whatever remained, though there was not much left aside from some tidbits of furniture and glass shards.

Shirosaki was speechless. He had not witnessed such devastation since the earthquake in that little Republic in 1667. What was the name again? Du… Dub…nik*? Something with a nik at the end! Not that he witnessed many disasters in Europe. After all, since Ossan was in charge of where they went, they somehow always managed to avoid places and locations where and when bad things happened. It was like Ossan had a sixth sense for that. They always moved before things went south. If he was shocked, Shirosaki dreaded to think how Ossan was taking the view.

Speaking of Ossan. Enraged… Fuming… Furious… Nope, none of those were even remotely close to just how ticked off he looked. Oh boy. Ossan was absolutely livid! If circumstances were any different, Shirosaki would be overjoyed to see such a strong reaction. However, this was no time to joke at Ossans’ predicament. This was serious.

Ossan continued to silently look at what remained of the manor. He may not outwardly react to what was in front of him. But on the inside, he was pissed-off to no ends. The only indication to his inner mayhem was the fire in his eyes. Hell, if the place was not already in shambles, it would be self-combusting from his heated glare.

They both looked at one another. Both understood without words that the perpetrator or culprits might be still lingering around.

Finally, Ossan softly spoke. “I’ll search for survivors, you explore the premises and check for any intruders. Anything that does not feel human is fair game. Don’t go overboard, if there are any trespassers I want to question them and their actions.”

A slightly psychotic grin stretched on Shirosaki’s pale features. “Very well, see you in a bit.” With that he was gone, a faint buzzing sound accompanying his departure.

Ossan took a deep breath and exhaled. Concentrating he used his senses in hopes to find anyone alive. He soon realized that his efforts were in vain. No one was spared, not even the servants who were mostly humans and a few Gemischt*. The whole situation was heartbreaking. To think that just a few years ago this same place was filled with delight and joy at her rebirth… Whoever was behind this would be punished. He would chase those responsible and once he got a hold of them he would make sure they begged for death. Last time he felt such rage was when _he_ was murdered. Suddenly pain overwhelmed him. His last remaining family members… all gone. Ossan removed his sunglasses and closed his eyes, silently mourning the death of innocent lives.

Shirosaki was diligently searching the area which was just a few minutes ago surrounded by the barrier. Though Ossan did not say anything, he was no fool. Whoever was responsible must have found a way to enter and leave the barrier intact. Which lead to only two conclusions. Either this was an inside job; the criminal could have been a servant with access to the mansion. The second and more disturbing assumption was that this was done by other Quincies. So much about the whole only four Quincies in the manor!

Knowing Ossan, he already searched for both survivors and intruders when he said he would check if anyone made it out with their lives. He probably asked Shirosaki to inspect the surrounding area so he could pay his respects. Shirosaki felt for him. He did, really. He would give him space.

Looking around and using his senses he could tell that the incident happened several hours ago. He would guess about six or seven hours before they arrived. That was another detail to consider. Whoever did this, must have known about their planned visit or got really lucky. _‘Yeah right!’_ He took note to mention his deductions to his partner. As he was walking in a random direction, Shirosaki stumbled and nearly fell face first to the ground. He looked back to see what nearly made him trip. There was a piece of stone. Che, he should really start looking where he was walking. He was about to leave, but another thing caught his eyes. The stone was atop a weird patch of dirt.

_‘For the love of…! It’s just a patch of dirt and a rock, nothing else!’_

Though he kept telling himself that, his instincts were compelling him to examine both items closely. Nothing happened.

_‘Like something was supposed to happen, idiot.’_

He chided himself. Still observing the objects of his ire. He felt as though the two innocent looking things were mocking him. _‘Wait, objects? Things? Why would I think dirt is an object? I can understand thinking of the stone as a thing, but the ground? Hmm, something’s fishy. It’s like I’m being deceived. Wait, that’s it!’_

“Oi, Ossan! Get your gloomy self in here! You may wanna check this thing out!”

His shout was not disregarded. Using Hirenkyaku Ossan stood next to Shirosaki in seconds. Glasses back on, as usual.

“What is it?” came the expected stoic question.

Shirosaki rolled his eyes and pointed to the two irritating things.

“Care to check the ground? It gives me the creeps.”

Ossan ignored Shirosaki’s rambling as he was enveloped in a familiar reiatsu, his own.

“Step back. On second thought, get behind me. I’m about to open the latch to the underground passage.”

“Wait, what? You’re telling me you have a secret room down there?” Asked Shirosaki, while moving away as instructed.

“You could say a hidden route. Secret passages were and are a passion of mine. I took the liberty to create at least one on all my properties. Paths that can lead inside and outside. I found it intriguing and fascinating. I refused to share the knowledge of their existence. Only a handful of relatives were ever bestowed with the information on how to open the paths and their locations. Hayate*, the lady of this house, was one of them. I had completely forgotten about this one.”

Ossan slowly lifted his hand, simultaneously gathering the reishi surrounding the stone and patch of dirt. Soon both dissipated into blue particles revealing a stony staircase leading, obviously, down in the direction of the ruined mansion.

“Well, would you look at that. You don’t do things half-heartedly, do you? Why don’t you lead the way then? With you knowing the route and all, plus I am willing to bet good money there are traps or something alike.”

There was a twitch on Ossan’s lips, as thought he was fighting a smile.

“You would be correct. Make sure you don’t touch anything and stay as quiet as possible. Or better yet, you may want to stay here and keep guard, just in case.”

“You don’t fool me Ossan. Besides what would be the point? There is not one single spiritually aware being for miles and we both know it! Let’s just get going, less talking and more walking.”

Shaking his head Ossan took the first step down the path, Shirosaki right behind him. He had no desire to test his luck, especially not with traps. No, sir.

The corridor was rather plain. An occasional picture framed bare walls. Ossan played with several of them as well as with random non-suspicious looking objects. Or so they appeared, but were obviously something more. Shirosaki was bored, but made no comments or complaints. He kept all his senses on high alert as a precaution. After all, there was much to be discussed with Ossan once they would be back on the way.

A sturdy double door awaited them at the end of the path. Ossan once again did whatever it is he had been doing and the doors opened revealing a quaint round room. Nothing special to say about this one. There was a large picture of a seaside castle on the right wall, underneath it stood a small light maroon cabinet. The left side was dominated by a large closet of the same color. In front was a smaller door leading to who knows where. For some reason Ossan seemed immersed in the closet. Shirosaki was curious to know what was beyond the door in front of him rather than what he could find in a closet. Since Ossan seemed lost in thoughts he just asked.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Ok, he didn’t ask about the door, he would… later.

“Oh, just searching for a button. We are literally below the Heart of the house. That door leads to the upper level. I am inspecting the closet because I can feel someone used it lately. The closet works as a secret resting room, basically if you can open the door correctly you will end up in a room equipped for emergency situations. It has a bathroom, bed a small kitchenette and cabinets with supplies. If the attempt fails, you’ll find yourself outside the manor. Another feature to the correct room is its reiatsu proof quality. Once inside you would not be detected by anyone outside. If you were inside, even I, who knows the existence of the room, would be unable to feel your presence. The only way to know if someone is inside, is to enter. Ah. Here.”

As those words left full lips, the closet doors opened to reveal yet another door in the middle.

“Let’s be ready for anything.”

Shirosaki only nodded and both prepared to enter. Once the door opened, the room Ossan talked about revealed itself. Everything was exactly as he described. Except for the small body hidden under a black blanket on the bed if the tuft of light brown hair was any indication.

Ossan silently approached the bed to inspect the covered figure. He was soon proven the person was breathing, apparently deep asleep, which in turn made him feel as though a great weight was removed from his shoulders.

_‘At least one survivor.’_

Upon closer inspection the individual was a young slender girl, probably a teenager. Ossan was weighing his options: should he wake her or let her sleep? His decision was made for him when the girl stirred from her slumber. Brown eyes blinked a few times and soon hands joined them in an effort to remove the last indication of sleep. Once their gazes met the girl made a startled sound and nearly fell from the bed. She would have met the floor had it not been for Ossans’ quick reflexes. His arms enveloped the girl in a strong and warm hold. Realizing she would not be harmed, the girl finally stopped fidgeting and moved away from the cozy embrace.

“Ah. Sorry, you startled me. Hehe, I think I might have overreacted which is totally awkward. Better yet, it will be even weirder if you were one of those who attacked. Which should probably mean I’m still in danger and should fight back. But, you don’t feel like a threat. So, I really hope you are not a foe or worst…”

The girls’ incessant babble was stopped by an annoyed Shirosaki. “Oh, will you just shut up?! If we were enemies you would not be here. In fact, you’d be dead by now. Heck! You think we would wait till you woke-up before striking? Hell no! Now, why don’t you do something useful and introduce yourself?”

Both Ossan and the girl sweat dropped at Shirosaki’s outburst, but for two different reasons. Ossan completely forgot he was behind him, while the girl did not even see him. Once she did she became even more agitated and pointed her finger at Shirosaki stuttering: “You…you… you’re… a Hollow.”

Just like that, she resumed her blathering, further irritating the already fuming Hollow. Ossan, being the closest to the girl, decided to quiet her up by placing his hand over her mouth and spoke with his deep voice in a soothing manner.

“Yes, he is a Hollow. No, he is not dangerous. Yes, he is relatively harmless unless provoked…”

Shirosaki’s outraged cry of: “Hey! I may not be that bad, but I’m not harmless either!” fell on deaf ears.

He continued on, like there had been no interruptions: “…And no, we are not enemies or the ones who made the assault. In fact, your parents were expecting us.” Once he finished he removed his hand from the girls’ mouth, trying to reassure the little one of his good intentions.

The girl took everything in strides and soon her worried expression was replaced with one of excitement.

“Oh, then everything is fine! Yay!!! I’m so glad! That means you are not bad guys. It would have been a shame if you were, since you’re both kind of cool and nice and weird and it would be really sad if we were on opposite sides. I’m Masaki. Who are you? Are you a Quincy? Oh, are you the Heika* I’ve been told so much about? And what about that Hollow? Is it docile? Did you find him on the streets and adopted him… like a lost kitten? What about…”

The whole room was suddenly encased in a dark and heavy reiatsu. Compliments of the Hollow, who was trying really hard not to lash out at the innocent soul. He may not want to harm her, but he was not far from teaching her a lesson. He took several breaths and gradually the heaviness in the room was lifted.

“I’m no pet, I am my own person. Name’s Shirosaki and that over there is Ossan, at least that’s what I call him. Weather he gives you his name or not, it’s none of my concern. We’ve been traveling for over 24 hours without pause. Now, I may be partly Hollow, but I’m getting hungry, sleepy and all in all we need a damn break before I decide to blow up whatever is left of this place.”

Ossan was astonished. Thinking about Shirosaki’s words, they did ring true. They are both early risers, waking mostly around 6:00. It took Shirosaki about an hour to pack, he had no need to since he prepared the prior night. The drive to the airport, check-in, then the security, the wait for the flight… Hmm, the flight was at 11:30, the duration was a little over 11 hours and 10 minutes, so, they landed approximately around 23:40-50 Frankfurt time, 7:40-50 local time. The drive to Yokohama and here about another hour, then they did the search… He took the liberty to quickly glance at his watch.

_‘Wow, would you look at that, it’s already 10:00. We truly did not have any breaks along the way. Shirosaki is correct, it’s been a while since we had anything to eat and after everything that occurred we could all use some rest.’_

“I fully agree a break is in order. Masaki, care to join us? I regret to tell you this, but the mansion is no more. It’s not an adequate place to stay. I know you’ve been hiding your anxiety behind your joyful way and I understand the whole situation must be hard for you. Though, now is not the time to shed tears or to feel regretful for what transpired. We should move forward and locate an appropriate place to rest and regain strength.”

Masaki was amazed by the elder male. She could not grasp how this stranger got to know her so easily. As though reading her mind, Ossan spoke up again. “I am very close to all who share my blood and are Quincy descendants. If you needed any proof, I believe I may have just now provided you with one.”

Masaki only nodded her head in acknowledgement and agreement. Still at the back of the room, Shirosaki stood proudly, while on the inside he was dancing. He was complimented and would be getting his hands on some food. Ossan better let him drive and find something good. Where had been that restaurant again?

“If you guys are done with all the mushy crap, could we get going?”

They all looked at each other. Seeing no one wanted to make the first move, Shirosaki sneered at the other two and made his way to the car. Once he left Masaki took the opportunity to whisper: “Is he really not dangerous?”

An exasperated sigh left the remaining male. “I know he did not leave a good impression, but you can trust me when I say he likes you. Don’t expect him to show he cares. I’ve known him for some time, we tend to read each other’s emotions rather well. There is nothing to fear.”

“Ok. I guess that’s alright. Where are we going to go? I… there is nobody left.” Sadness was evident on her face.

“You are incorrect. I am here, am I not? And Shirosaki is here too. Just to let you know in advance, we tend to travel around a lot. In case you would feel uncomfortable with too much traveling, I can take you to your cousins. You know, there may not be any more of our family members by name, but we are not the last Quincies. Do you know about the Ishida’s? They are a very powerful family. If you so desire, I can arrange for them to take care of you. What do you say?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

“Take your time. You don’t have to decide right away. In the meantime, I believe a hotel and brunch are in order. Come. Let us go before Shirosaki returns demanding of us to make haste.”

Masaki visibly relaxed with the knowledge that she was not alone and the off chance of meeting more relatives. When suddenly another question popped on her mind.

“Oh! May I ask one more question? What does Shirosaki-san eat? I mean… him being a hollow and all…”

A content smirk stretched on Ossan’s face. “Believe it or not, he can eat regular food just like us. Also, for as long as I’ve known him, he had no desire or urge to devour souls. You’ll see he is not as he appears. To me, he is family rather than a simple Hollow... Hmm. Can you do me a favor and not tell him what I just said? We wouldn’t want to raise his spirits further than necessary, his overjoy might blind us.”

A giggle burst out from Masaki. Both feeling better, they made their way to follow Shirosaki. Food and rest were at the top of their priorities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter III done ^.^
> 
> *The city Shirosaki is trying to recall is Dubrovnik, a nice little city in Europe, more specifically in Croatia. Visited it while working on ships and it left such an impression on me that I really had to add it in my story. For the curious ones: Dubrovnik has lots of art, culture and history :)
> 
> *Gemischt = German word meaning mixed – in this case mixed blood. In some countries you can find Gemischt as a drink (mixture of sparkling water and wine).
> 
> *Hayate = Japanese name meaning sudden, sound of the wind. I found it appropriate as I was looking for a name that could have “permission” to pass through hidden passages just like the wind. Wind can go as it pleases and when passing narrow areas, it makes sudden noises.
> 
> *Heika is used in Japanese for sovereign royalty. It can be used as a direct term of address like “Your Majesty”.
> 
> Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)


	4. Chapter IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello :)
> 
> I present: Chapter IV
> 
> SPECIAL WARNING: Spoiler alert for anyone who is not up to date with the manga and only watched the anime!  
> Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.
> 
> Usual WARNINGS: Somewhere along the way might contain but is not limited to include dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual content, yaoi (again xD) and some other themes not suitable for under-age reader. Read at your own risk and discretion! Please don't hate too much if you don't like.

_Chapter IV_

A loud groan escaped pale lips, followed by a large intake of air. Shirosaki was glad to be out from that underground passage. It was cool, but he prefers open spaces. Must be an adaptation to _his_ likes. A long time ago, he did not care if he was in closed areas or wide plains as long as he was free. Then _he_ came along and suddenly what used to be irrelevant became significant. He himself had no idea how or when, but it did. Initially, it pissed him off. Later, he realized that he'd do anything to see one of _his_ smile. Heh, those were undeniably rare, but worthy of any and all trouble.

He gave a quick glance backwards. Still no Ossan or girly. The girl was a bit bizarre, but she did lose everything and everyone in one go, so, meh, he'll let it be... That is, for now. He was getting hungry... And tired... And that cursed journey on the flying machine was not helping at all. Sheesh, he was irritated enough without the help of an annoying kid. He'll be lucky no Shinigami or Hollows come their way with how agitated his reiatsu felt. Ossan will owe him big time! He'll request for an hour, or better yet, six hours of anti-stress session. Yeah, that'll cheer him up. He'd better make sure it’s challenging too! _'Ah! Here they finally come. Hmm, little girly is in high spirits. I wonder what they spoke about? For everyone's sanity, I certainly hope it was not me.'_

Shirosaki's previously grinning face turned into a fierce scowl, only to change back to his normal sneering. _'I'll let it slide this time and this time only! In spite of everything, she is important. She is the reincarnation of **his** second most bellowed person. I do like to think of myself as the number one.'_

Even from such distance, Shirosaki's mood swings did not escape Ossan's all-seeing eyes. He had no idea what was passing throughout the others' mind. But was con not concerned. If Shirosaki was well enough to act like his usual self, then he had no protests. It was far too long since then. Sulking did not suit his strong frame. And though the smile was a little on the psychotic side it was a far cry better than depression. They had Masaki to care and protect now so he was more optimistic.

Masaki was not the happy camper everyone saw on the outside. Her world did turn upside down in a matter of a few hours. Yet somehow, she felt an even greater sensation of loss emanating from the two males. She decided to do everything in her power to keep them as content as possible. She was a bit wary of Shirosaki. Who could blame her? She was raised in a Quincy family. Thinking about her family saddened her. She already missed her parents so much. She missed their loving nature and peaceful air. Thinking about it, she never saw them angry or upset. Not once. Maybe they knew children could be very perceptive, even more so than some grown-ups. The sense of security they emanated had always been her blanket.

Never had she experienced a nightmare. It had always been way to quiet for any terrifying dreams to happen. She swore to treat her children the same way should she live long enough to have children. She had not seen the aggressors. Her mother had woke her and took her to that odd room. Once inside, she had no idea how to leave.

_I wonder what would have happened had these two not come to find me? Maybe I would have been like one of those princesses from books and cartoons? Waiting for a knight in shining armor on a white horse to save me from my tower. In that case, who would be my knight? Hmm…, Shirosaki-san is white and a Hollow, so, maybe I can make him the horse… Then Ossan… Wait! If he is my knight, without the armor since he doesn't have one, what is his name? He forgot to tell me that. Or was it me who forgot to question? I better ask if I want to find out.'_

"U mm… mister Ossan? What's your name? It's weird to call you Ossan or just Heika. Unless Ossan is your real name. In that case you must have had some bizarre parents. Or maybe they pictured you to be an 'Ossan' when you grew up. But then, how would they have called you as a child? Surely you would have had a nickname or something, since you can't be an 'Ossan' as a child…"

"Kurosaki." Was the quick response. "Kurosaki, Juhabach. A pleasure to officially meet you, Masaki."

Poor Masaki. She was shocked into silence. She did not see that one coming. From what her parents told her, the Heika was _'The Father of Quincy'_. She never expected him to have the same last name as herself. Did this mean they were related? If that's the case, then that means she is not alone. But what would he be to her? An uncle? Would he be her uncle from her dad's or mom's side? No, they were both gone during a battle before she was born. Then a grandparent? A great-grandpa? A lost cousin?

Seeing Masaki was lost in thoughts, Juhabach smiled to himself. He was sure he knew where were the thoughts of the little one going around. She was probably looking for a connection. He was considering helping her out, but he had an already irritated Shirosaki at hand. Hmm, decisions, decisions. He finally decided to leave things as they were. Masaki would be silent and Shirosaki would not argue. A win-win situation. He could also use the silence for his own thoughts. Triple-win.

As they reached Shirosaki and the car, he handed over the key to Shirosaki and opened the back-door for Masaki. He followed after her and closed the door, both of them in their own minds. Shirosaki gladly took the key and went to the driver's seat, silently praying the girly would not start the chit-chat. As far as he was concerned, that had been more than enough, at least until they all recharged. He was about to drive back to Yokohama, hopeful that along the way they could stop at that Ikanari restaurant they had passed on the way here. To be on the safe side he did ask Ossan where to next.

Ossan answered without breaking his train of thoughts "Karakura. We can rest anywhere you find adequate on the way. But Karakura will be our next point."

Nothing further was needed between the two. For the groups new addition this wasn't sufficient information. Her musing was so much easily broken and she forgot what she had been thinking. She had never left the mansion or its' surroundings. Everything outside was a mystery. One could practically see her imagination going wild and her enthusiasm was soon made known to both male's chagrin.

"Karakura? Is it a city? A village? A castle? Is it something else? How many people live there? Is that where you live? Do you both live together? Do you know anyone there? Oh, are those cousins you talked about from Karakura? What's it like? How's the weather?"

Both Shirosaki and Ossan sweat dropped at the barrage of questions. Shirosaki absolute refused to acknowledge hearing all of the questions for two reasons. One, he himself did not know most of the requested answers. And two, he did not want to test if there would be even more questions from the little she-devil.

Next to Masaki, Ossan was speculating the same as his partner. Nevertheless, such was child's curiosity. His long forgotten parental urges surfaced once more and he was inclined to answer as many questions as possible.

"Karakura is a city. Mostly concrete, like the mansion you lived, only everything is much larger and it looks as though there are many smaller mansions next to each other. There are no castles, but there are many big houses, some might be mistaken as castles. There is also a huge park, like the gardens you had, only this one doesn't belong to one person. Since it belongs to everyone in the city it's called 'public'. It also has benches, a playground for children and paths. I'm not sure how many people live in the city. However, it is a rather large number. Hmm, let's see… There is also a large forest in the vicinity. A forest is larger than a park. Mostly grass and trees with the addition of animals."

A smile burst out from Masaki. "Silly. It's true I've never left the mansion, but even I know what a forest is. I did my studies and there are lots of things I know. I may not have seen much, but I'm a good student."

Ossan only smiled and nodded his head in understanding. "To answer your other questions. A long time ago, I used to live there. I did have a castle. It should still be there. That was back at the time before I met Shirosaki. We sort of met in the forest part of Karakura near the castle grounds. But we'll leave that story for another time. Shirosaki and I share dwellings when we travel as it is convenient. He used to live with me and the family. The Ishida's also lived in the castle with us. As time passed, families became larger and larger. We all separated and went our ways, while keeping in touch. The weather is very similar to the one you already got used to and since there are so many people around, I'm sure you'll make loads of friends in no time."

He ended his words with a reassuring squeeze of Masaki's hand. Masaki would have asked more questions, but was too tired and soon fell deep asleep. Her head lax on the elder's left shoulder. Ossan had a fond look on his expression and carefully adjusted the girl into a better position.

Peeking at the passengers on the back, Shirosaki too couldn't hide a small smile from forming on his face. Reminiscing about the past was both pleasurable and painful. Being the nut case, he is, he took the good with the bad and this time was no different. The road moved on and they parked in front of the Ikanari restaurant. Exiting the vehicle Shirosaki moved to open the back-seat door for Ossan to help in taking Masaki-chan with them. What!? He likes little kids, even though they annoy the living hell out of him. Besides, Masaki-chan looked so cute when sleeping. He will be mad once she woke up and started her ranting. Until then, he can admit that she can be adorable.

The family run restaurant gives off a homey feeling. The interiors different shades of beige, brown and sand colors where accompanied by carved wood furniture. On either side of the entrance are three sets of tables separated by wooden panels. Each panel seemed to tell a different story. Possibly the owner's history and memories. The tables able to accommodate up to six guests each. In the middle of the restaurant was the most noteworthy decoration of the whole place. A living tree was growing from the ground. This tree was surrounded by a square table with the capacity of twelve visitors. Most likely used for special events and occasions. Further beyond the central table was a counter along with the bar. On the left side was a door leading to the restrooms, while on the opposite was a staff only entrance and a door leading to the kitchen or some other area.

All in all, not a bad place. Shirosaki and Ossan made way to the left side, selecting the very first table closest to the entrance or exit since they were already inside. It was a minor habit they both took from the many trips. It's an easy choice since one seems inconspicuous, yet has the advantage of monitoring all who are within the establishment, those who enter and leave. It also comes in handy to for a quick escape. On the occasions that there was a Hollow attack, one of them could easily leave and return. Useful for quick escapes, especially during the time when prosecutions were made for just being alive and looking different. Not that the world changed much, it just adapted new terms. Shirosaki's coloring a fine example. Humans called him many names just for having the coloration he has. From demon child, to Satan's offspring and now just albino. It all comes to the same, just a different jargon a different wording. Only one person had seen Shirosaki for **who** he is instead of what.

Back on track, the two sat down each having one vantage point. Ossan took the liberty to wake up the napping girl.

"Masaki-san. Masaki-san. Time to wake up young one."

Waking up from the well needed nap, Masaki cleared her vision and covered her mouth with her hand when yawning. One look around reminded her of what occurred and the companions she was traveling with.

"Good morning. Or is it afternoon?"

Shirosaki chuckled and to everyone's' surprise answered: "It's technically still morning since it's around eleven. However, we're about to have lunch. Either way is fine."

The girl's astonished sound was interrupted by a waiter approaching with the menu's and informing the customers the meal of the day. Once they all made their selections, the waiter left them assuring the meal would be ready in no time as it was not a busy hour.

At the waiters' words, Masaki looked around to find they were the only guests in the restaurant. She did not pay too much attention to it, since she was not used to lots of people around. The more experienced members were not particularly worried as it would probably be busier in an hour when people finished their work. Masaki took the chance to observe the two more closely. Their manners, the way they interacted with one another and that lingering feeling of loss. Like they both went through something really bad. She was wondering if it was that feeling that kept the two close to each other. Two Quincies and a Hollow at the same table, soon to be sharing a meal. It sounded surreal. And yet, here she was, in a little restaurant somewhere near Yokohama, if her geography lectures were right, about to have a meal with a Hollow and not being the same Hollow's main course.

She was sure her old archer instructor was turning in his grave. Her lessons had not been limited to human knowledge. Being spiritually aware, she had double the number of classes, due to her Quincy training. Even with all the schooling and teaching, she was barely able to fully grasp her Quincy powers. She had never seen a live Hollow either and besides her parents, teachers and some of the servants, she had never encountered another Quincy either. It was a lot of information to wrap her mind around. But the large amount of data was helping her coping with the incident at the manor.

The other two had a custom of waiting for the meal and talk either during the meal or afterwards. It all depended on the situation. In this case it was a bit different. They could see the youngest was deep in thoughts, thinking about one thing or the other. It worried them. For the short amount of time they've known Masaki, she appeared to be a very talkative ball of sunshine. The waiter returned with their ordered lunch. All tree devouring everything like ravenous beasts. None able to remember when their last meal had been. It did not take long before they were finished and ordered for seconds.

While waiting for round two, Ossan starting the conversation out of the blue. "Shirosaki, what is the intelligence we have on the case? I want to check your opinion in this matter before coming to premature conclusions."

Shirosaki commenced their mini staring contest, trying to gauge the other's intentions. Masaki being at the table and what not. Seeing whatever he had been looking for, his expression returned to a frown and spoke in a low tone. Better safe than sorry, right?

"You pulled the barrier down, so you should know what that implies. It was either an inside job or you have an enemy among your kind. Personally, I would exclude the option of an insider's job. There was just too much reiatsu residues. Not enough to identify anyone, but enough to say it was not a one person's job. Someone from the servants may have been a spy, that I can't say for sure, but there had been at least five. The main focus was on the left side, while the right was nearly overlooked. I think someone less skilled was sent to deal with the right side, though I can't figure out why."

Masaki was the one to jump in on the conversation. She looked pale, but held herself strong.

"The left side is…, was where papa, mama and I lived… The servants lived on the right. Does this mean that they were after something papa kept in his study? Or were they targeting something else? But why? Why would Quincy attack us? Did our family do something bad?"

The last two questions were said so quietly, they had been barely above a whisper.

Ossan took over the conversation trying to alleviate some of the heaviness which befall their table.

"I am certain it was a personal grudge. Though, the attack was focused on the left, the whole mansion was ruined. Had it been only a family member they had been after, why go through the trouble of destroying the whole place? I do agree with Shirosaki that there had been five intruders, but I too was unable to sense enough for an identification. Masaki, by any chance do you remember seeing anything unusual in the past few weeks? One of the reasons why Shirosaki and I were coming for a visit, was due to unknown activities around the mansion. Do you remember feeling or seeing anything during that time?"

Masaki concentrated really hard. She did remember the occasional sensation of being watched, she never gave those too much thought before, because of all the servants and tutors. She did think she saw a few shadows moving, but assumed to have been a trick of the light. But those started happening about two months ago, not a few weeks. She relayed the same to her group. The result she received were even deeper frowns.

"Ossan, the whole thing was planned. Whoever did this, knew you were coming for a visit. I refuse to believe it to be a coincidence. There is no way! The suspicion arose only in the past few weeks, but Masaki was subconsciously aware of intruders for longer. It doesn't take a genius to figure out patterns and for them to get so sloppy in time to raise doubts… This was definitely planned. Whoever was behind this must have wanted to either eradicate your whole remaining lineage. Or were searching for something special."

As he finished, he gave his partner a pointed look and a quick eye glance at Masaki. The girl was too stunned to notice, but Ossan did. He agreed with Shirosaki. It was an act of vengeance against him or they were after Masaki. Though there was that minor issue to the whole theory. The only ones who might be after his lineage are the Shinigami. Just as Masaki asked, why would Quincy attack their own? Especially now that they were so few in numbers? He looked at Masaki. Sadness overcame him for less than a second. Once his eyes met Shirosaki's, they silently agreed to discuss the matter further in private.

Masaki was about to make another comment, but was interrupted by the blessed waiter who brought their second order round. Saved by the waiter a second time in one day? Must be the only stroke of luck they've had since they landed. The meal was consumed with less ardor, but they still managed to polish off their plates.

They paid the bill and were back in the car on the way to Karakura. Once again Ossan gently squeezed Masaki's hand and conned her into sleeping. Even though she was trying to be strong, the stress of the whole situation was wearing her and all of them down. Karakura was not that far from Yokohama. The plan was to reach Karakura, take rest at an inn, hopeful to take shower and rest for the remainder of the day away. They would contemplate the matter of fresh clothes for Masaki in the morning. For the time being they did have the bare necessities in their luggage and she could always borrow some of their own clothing. Having the plan in mind, Ossan made sure to inform Shirosaki so he could drive them accordingly to their next destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking forward to any and all criticism, just please don't hate :3
> 
> Quick recap: English is not my mother language so if I made any mistakes or errors let me know. I am the writer and the spellcheck person all in one. I'm getting the feeling this is getting old, but I love feeling safe xD
> 
> Any questions, you can PM me and I'll try to give answers - but I won't give you spoilers :D
> 
> Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usual disclaimer, reminder and warnings.
> 
> Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.
> 
> Usual WARNINGS: Spoiler alert for anyone who is not up to date with the manga and only watched the anime! Somewhere along the way might contain but is not limited to include dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual content, yaoi (again xD) and some other themes not suitable for under-age reader. Read at your own risk and discretion! And if you don’t like, please don’t hate too much :3
> 
> This Chapter is dedicated everyone who is reading and reminding me to post an update on this site.  
> Thank you!

**Chapter V**

* * *

It did not take long for the car to pass the sign which said “Welcome to Karakura”. Shirosaki found an inn with a large parking spot close the downtown center. He opted for an inn near the center to avoid using the car once the need for shopping arose. He knew they would have to make some purchases for the girl. He would make sure he was not involved in the whole shopping spree. Nope, there was no way. The inn was a fine white establishment from the outside.

Shirosaki, once again, helped Ossan since he would be carrying the sleeping Masaki in his hands and lead the way to the entrance of the inn. On the inside a variety of carpets, decorations and furniture were the first things they noticed. All in different shades of crimson red, gold and white.

Ossan made way to the reception desk, where they were greeted as appropriate by the staff. Though some where giving them odd looks from the corner of their eyes whenever they could afford it. It was not every day you saw two well-dressed males, with bizarre features, carry a sleeping girl. Ossan took notice of the attention they were gathering and set to stop any rumors that may start at any given moment by speaking to whom seemed to be the Concierge.

“Good day. I would like to request for three adjoining rooms for my children and I. We have been traveling for several hours and are quite exhausted. Would you mind to have someone gather the luggage from our car? It’s the black Rover SD1 Vitesse.”

You’d have to be blind not to notice the way everyone lightened up at those words. The Concierge was extremely happy to know these were high class guests, since they were about to pay for three rooms instead of sharing one. The commission for this month would be sweet for the smiling lady. Other staff members were glad to know the girl was not kidnapped or worse since she was asleep. Giving the arrived guests a better look, they could see the tiredness in their forms, reassuring them even further that everything was fine.

The Concierge was more than pleased to send the Bellboy to pick up the customers luggage and had one of the Housekeepers’ escort the clients to their staterooms, wishing them a pleasant stay.

The Housekeeper, a lovely young maid dressed in the traditional kimono of the region, showed them to their rooms. She took the time to clarify the how the connection between rooms worked, how to use the room’s facility and technology. She also explained how the phone worked and how to order room service, where the menu was etc. She asked them not to hesitate to contact the Reception should they require anything else, gave them their keys and left the room with a deep bow.

Ossan laid Masaki down on the bed, while Shirosaki locked the door. Since this was the central room out of the three connected, this would become Masaki’s room. That way the two of them could be within hearing distance in case of an emergency. Shirosaki opted to take the room to the left, leaving Ossan with the room on the right. One look was all they needed to move to the left stateroom. Both took a seat on the large bed, choosing opposite directions as per their norm. They left the door partially open, so they could hear when Masaki awoke.

Shirosaki was the first to talk. “So… what do we know, Ossan?”

“As we have already established, the attack was intentional and well organized. The timing was flawless. It was over before we landed. The barrier was intact and Masaki’s parents mentioned shadows, Shinigami can’t manipulate shadows. It’s a specialty of my race. And the leftover reiatsu, all leads to the Quincy. We know there were five individuals. Now the questions we have no answer to are: why is there an assault among my own kindred? What could possibly motivate them to do such an act? Had this happened back then all those centuries ago the answer would have been simple. A declaration of war and rebellion against my throne. Now it’s meaningless, especially since the seal was placed so long ago. Another option would be that there is someone holding the strings and recruiting a new army, killing any who oppose or refuse to participate.”

Shirosaki listened patiently and occasionally nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. All are valid points. But would they really destroy the whole mansion just because they refused to join their cause? Also, you are leaving out the detail that most likely the responsible members were aware of your arrival. This was definitely personal. There is also the possibility the mansion was destroyed because they were looking for the only survivor. In this case Masaki. If they were really making plans and taking notes of the movements within then I’m sure the goal was utter eradication. You can forget about the recruitment part. That must have already been accomplished since there were five guys. Yes, I admit there were some small fry, but there were at least two really strong ones, those that were difficult to sniff. Can you think of anyone who would want to eliminate your family?”

Once again, the staring contest began. Neither wanting to be the first to break the silence or the others thoughts. This time it was Ossan who broke eye contact, searching throughout his memory for anyone intent on doing this atrocity.

“No. Ever since the seal… Very few are aware that I’m around. I would have sooner expected something like this from the Shinigami, but from my own? Unless…”

Realization struck the elders face and shock soon overtook him completely. Shirosaki, being the “not so patient person” he was, tried to get Ossan to speak up his mind. But the other was lost elsewhere. A deep frown settled upon Shirosaki. He hated when the other behaved like this. It was nearly impossible to get him out of one of those moments. For being a fragment of a King, he sure took his sweet time figuring things out. And even more time to share. Damn it! He was pale, but not invisible! Getting tired of the silent treatment he leaned over the bed to reach the other and punched his companion in the face.

“Damn it Ossan! Share your darn thoughts already! You know I’m not one for suspense and I sure as hell can’t read minds!”

The punch did remove Ossan from his mulling, but the raise in voice could have roused Masaki from sleep. Ossan stood from the bed and made his way to the partition-door. Masaki was still deep asleep and gave no indication she would soon wake up.

Ossan loudly exhaled relieved Masaki was continuing her rest. He looked back at Shirosaki and gave him a sharp glare.

“Hehe, ops. My bad.” Was Shirosaki’s nonchalant response to the dirty look Ossan was aiming at him. He was not sorry, nor did he feel really bad. It worked, nonetheless and Ossan groaned before speaking up.

“I hope what I’m about to say is incorrect… What if… What if Soren is back? If Soren was reincarnated and somehow kept his memories from that time… Everything would add up. The attack on the manor, the drastic increase in mortality of my family… You see, I didn’t notice the same pattern with other Quincy families. A good example would be the Ishida’s family. The one in this town is the last of their branch, but it was caused mostly due to not wanting to mix their bloodline with Gemischt instead of ‘incidents’. If he was back, it makes sense to think he would want to finish what he had started. Another reason why he would want to destroy my family is _Ichigo_. He hated _him_ with a passion and I wouldn’t pass it beyond him to do everything in his power to assure he couldn’t be reborn. I… I’m not sure, but even just thinking about Soren makes my blood boil.”

The moment the name **Soren** was spoken, Shirosaki found it hard to control his emotions. Heh, he too hated the son of a good mother. Hey, don’t judge him for not calling him a son of a bitch! Soren’s mother might have been a good woman. It was not her fault that bastard turned out the way he did. Then Ichigo’s name was mentioned. Just the name was enough to calm Shirosaki’s rage. He agreed with Ossan about the boiling blood, though he would prefer a barbecued Soren rather than his own boiled blood. Man, he was getting pissed again. No, he would keep it cool. He has too, for the little girly next door. But if he was to cross paths with Soren. Oh, no. Nothing would stop him from ripping that man apart like Lego blocks. Only these parts would not have the chance to be reattached. Nope! He would make sure not even a bloody cell would remain of the guy. Oh, yeah. He would keep that firmly in mind.

His deranged smile from ear to ear stretched his face. “Ossan. If that comes to be true, I call dibs on Soren’s head. You can play with what remains of him, if there will be anything left of course.”

They looked at each other, silently agreeing.

Shirosaki’s smile suddenly turned back in a frown. “Ossan. This was a Quincy attack. If I remember correctly, he wasn’t a Quincy, but a… what is it called nowadays? Oh, yeah! Hybrid. He was a Shinigami-Hollow hybrid scumbag. Surely, he couldn’t gather a Quincy army, even less convince them to attack ‘The Kurosaki’. Maybe, once we rest and find a place for Masaki-chan, it would be a good idea to go back there and look for more clues.”

Ossan was surprised by Shirosaki’s words. Not only did he reign his blood-lust, but gave a valid argument. True, Soren had been a mistake from the very beginning. He should have never let… He should have seen the signs sooner. Even after all this time he blamed himself for not having seen what was happening sooner. Maybe it could have all been avoided…

They were both startled by the knock on the main door, followed by a loud yawning sound coming from the adjoining room. Looks like Masaki was waking up, meaning this whole conversation was coming to a premature end. Ossan checked the reiatsu on the other side of the main door. Since it felt human and he could not detect any ill intentions he opened the door only to be met by a shy Bellman carrying their luggage and car key. Huh, he had completely forgotten about the luggage. The poor soul was bowing and apologizing like there was no tomorrow for the delay in delivering the luggage, afraid of having offended the esteemed guests. Ossan reassured the young man everything was fine and thanked the still apologizing man for the delay saying it gave them precisely the time to recover from the journey. The Bellman was thankful to the customers and offered further assistance. Politely declining, Ossan was about to send the man back to his duties. But the Bellman wanted to go a step beyond duty and offered his personal number in case they required anything at all. Poor man, he had taken the luggage and got lost through the inn since it was his first day at work and already got scolded on several occasions for forgetting his whereabouts. Had he received a complaint from these guests, he surely would have gotten fired. Ossan thanked the young man, assured him everything was fine and politely ushered the other out, locking the door.

Masaki rubbed the sleep from her eyes and greeted her group members. Shirosaki took the liberty to inform the girl of the sleeping arrangements and offered some clothes in case she would want to take a shower as well as an extra toothbrush and other needed toiletries. Yes, the clothes would bee too large on the skinny female, but it was better then anything Ossan could offer. Masaki cheerfully took the proposed clothes: light blue baggy sport trousers and a white pajama shirt. The trousers had a string at the top for size adjustment. They would still be way to big since she was only about 5’5 compared to Shirosaki’s 6’0, but it was better than nothing. She was soon gone to the bathroom for a nice long warm shower.

A shower sounded like a great idea. Shirosaki took another pajama set for himself, this one consisted of black shorts and a dark red shirt, black boxer briefs for his nether regions and the rest of the necessities. He too went under a hot shower. He would sleep the rest of the day away. What with the flight and all. Not to mention it was past two in the afternoon and they have had no breaks for over a day. Yes, shower and sleep. Ossan followed his companions leads and he too opted for a set of pajamas: midnight blue shirt and trousers with white leaf patterns. Everything else could wait for later. They were all exhausted in one way or the other.

* * *

_Afraid…, scared… He was running from a horde of Hollows, Barragan’s personal servants. Followers of ‘The New King’ of Hueco Mundo. He had fought against many and came out victorious, but there was no end to these vermin’s. He was injured during the last confrontation and was bleeding from a major wound on his stomach, still too young to fully use his high-speed regeneration. The pursuers able to follow him by the scent of his own blood. He was desperate. He had to get away from his persecutors. Those guys behind him would be catching up to him soon. He had to be faster and put as much distance as possible so he could heal enough to get rid of them the old fashion way._

_An unfamiliar reiatsu burst just a few paces to his left. Great. Even more enemies. Perhaps he could use it as a distraction? The reiatsu was powerful, yet unbalanced, like the owner wasn’t able to conceal or manipulate it. Must be an incompetent young one. Still such power, could it really emanate from an inexperienced soul? Or was is a trap? He decided to risk and hide, praying the Hollows following him would attack the unknown powerhouse. They did, he was safe._

_A high-pitched scream pierced the air. Shit! It was just a kid. Well that’s how life is, unfair. He wanted to continue his escape. He should let the kid be his scapegoat. It’s just another soul…_

_Another cry resonated throughout the forest. This one was laced with a hint of pain. He turned and went in the direction of the mysterious reiatsu. The scene he stumbled upon was terrifying._

* * *

The, previously sleeping, pale figure jumped out of his skin and woke up drenched in cold sweat, breathing ragged and uneven. His lungs weren’t able to process all the oxygen he was frantically getting in and out. It took Shirosaki several moments to realize he was startled awake from a dream. A nightmare or was it a memory? He couldn’t remember. Huh? This was the first night terror in centuries. Could it be a storm was brewing in the distance? Considering just recent events, he was fairly positive for this to be the case. He looked around himself and just noticed it was already dark outside. He must have slept for several hours. He glanced at the nightstand clock. Two in the morning. He frowned at the inanimate object like it wronged him in some way just by displaying the ungodly early hour.

Sighing loudly, he decided to try and get back to sleep. It did not take long to conclude there would be no more naps. Just as he was about to go to the restroom to refresh, he felt a foreign reiatsu approaching. Expanding his senses, he found out it was a small fry Hollow. He would go and send him to the afterlife as a precaution. There was no need for this Hollow to come near them. Surely the wretched thing was aiming to consume Masaki’s reiatsu. Speaking of the girly. Her reiatsu was all over the place. He should wake her up before she attracted even more Hollows.

With the plan in his mind, he set it in motion by exiting his room and entering the central stateroom where Masaki laid on the bed. Just looking at her, you could see she was haunted by an unpleasant dream. He quietly approached her, softly shaking her shoulders while gently applying soothing reiatsu on the palm of his hands. He did not want her to jump out of bed, or worse cry out. Who knows what would Ossan think, not to mention the staff.

“Masaki-chan, Masaki, wake up. Wake up little one. It’s just a bad dream. We are here by your side. Come on wake up.” Not once did Shirosaki raise his voice, but his voice and the addition of the calm reiatsu were enough to rouse Masaki out of her slumber. She was shaking and was about to scream out of fright. The yell was stopped by a pale hand on her mouth, followed by Shirosaki shushing sounds and warm words. “It’s alright. You’re fine and safe. It was all just a dream.”

Masaki was cozy and felt appeased that she suddenly hugged whoever was the owner of that voice. She was still very sleepy and her eyes did not get the chance to really have a good look at the person in front of her.

Shirosaki on the other hand was too stunned to make a sound. He had not seen that one coming. He had a Hollow to chase away, but there was still some distance between them and the approaching threat. Meh, he had time. Not like it was a big fish, it was a rather low-class Hollow, so where was the rush? Besides, the girl had been so frightened. Poor thing, must have relived the horror of her previous night.

After several minutes, Masaki was calm enough to notice she was hugging the Hollow. She was expecting to see the elder male, but was surprised that she was pacified by a Hollow. _‘Well, he is not all that bad, even Heika said so.’_ Thought Masaki, perhaps she could finally find it in her heart to give the pale man a chance.

“Thank you.” Were the first quiet words spoken. “Thank you for waking me up.” Slowly she released her hold from Shirosaki’s shoulders.

“No problem, kid. Now try and go back to sleep, it’s still too early in the morning for your to be roaming around.” Shirosaki was continuing to use his comforting voice and gestures. Not wanting to scare off little Masaki. Not after what just happened. Masaki nodded her head. She turned to the other side and was trying to fall asleep. But, she knew there was no way she was going to fall asleep again, not after her nightmare. She was about to voice her concern to Shirosaki, when she noticed the male was gone. The window next to her bed was open. That was so cool. How did he manage to pass so near her and not even notice? How did he leave so fast? Where was he going? Why was he awake? Did he only wake up because of her nightmare or was he awake before that?

So many questions were passing through the girl’s mind. Her unanswered questions soon lulled her back to sleep. Shirosaki’s comforting reiatsu lingering onto her being. She fell asleep to thoughts of white knight and shining horses instead of knights in shining armors and white horses.

Neither of the two had noticed their third member who witnessed the whole ordeal hidden behind his partially closed door. A smile spread through his face at the notion of how nicely Shirosaki had treated Masaki. He had been awoken by Masaki’s unstable reiatsu and was on his way to her, when he noticed Shirosaki’s presence next to her. He had not anticipated the sight in front of his eyes. He was even more astounded when he noticed Shirosaki’s reiatsu manipulation. He was consciously pacifying the girl who then hugged the pale man. This was getting interesting. In all the years he had known the Hollow, he had never seen this side of his character. It was surreal. Ichigo had really made a good choice. No matter how many times he had been told, he had never believed. Until now.

When Shirosaki left and Masaki fell asleep, he used his own senses to figure out what caused the abrupt leave. Ah, a minor Hollow. Nothing major, really. Shirosaki will not get even a warm-up. He searched the area for the local Shinigami. He knew of the distribution of Shinigami’s by areas and since this city had a large influx of spiritual movements he was sure there must have been at a least one around. He was proven wrong. He could not sense any Shinigami’s around, not for miles and miles away. Just what was going on? This was not how they work. He was tempted to go and accompany Shirosaki, but refrained from joining. He would stay and look over Masaki. Shirosaki was capable and strong, if this was a trap he could easily escape. Nodding to himself he opened the door and took a seat at the nearby chair.

Shirosaki took no time at all to get rid of the Hollow. For a small-fry, the Hollow had been huge and irritating. He closed his eyes to check if there were more Hollows in the area. Nope. Zilch. Good. He did not need any more annoyances, Ossan and the girly would be more than enough.

He did notice something weird. There was a faint reiatsu in the distance, remains of a battle. _‘Should I go and check or should I go back? It’s dim and weakening by the second. If I don’t explore now, it’ll be all gone by morning. Oh, what the heck! Not like I’ve got anything better to do.’_

The reiatsu lead him to the outskirts of town. There wasn’t much he could sense. Whatever happened it must have been a quick work. The lingering reiatsu belonged to a Shinigami and judging by the way it felt, the Shinigami must have been frightened beyond words. Just what could have provoked such a strong input of emotions? Shirosaki was trying really hard to sense anything else. But there was nothing left. Whoever attacked the Shinigami, must have been really fast. Stupid, weak Shinigami. They should really stop underestimating their enemies. With that final thought, Shirosaki used his Shunpo and went back to the inn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done ^.^
> 
> Looking forward to any and all criticism, just please don’t hate :3
> 
> Yes, Shirosaki used Shunpo. I’ll explain the “how’s” and “why’s” in a future chapter.
> 
> Soren is a Danish name meaning stern one. In America it would be: stern, strict, severe or even ‘God of War.’ I, for one, loved the last one and am using it to my advantage xD  
> In French and Scandinavian, Soren means thunder.
> 
> Quick recap: English is not my mother language so if I made any mistakes or any errors, please let me know. I am the writer and spellcheck person all in one. I’m getting the feeling this is getting old, but better safe than sorry xD
> 
> Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone.
> 
> I present Chapter VI
> 
> Here are the usual disclaimer, reminder and warnings.  
> Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not go or read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.
> 
> Usual WARNINGS: Spoiler alert for anyone who is not up to date with the manga and only watched the anime! Somewhere along the way might contain but is not limited to include dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual content, yaoi (again xD) and some other themes not suitable for under-age reader. Read at your own risk and discretion! And if you don’t like, please don’t hate too much :3
> 
> This Chapter is dedicated to everyone who is reading and who might read in the future X3

**Chapter VI**

* * *

Once at the inn, Shirosaki’s first thoughts were of the comfortable and soft bed he would be soon going back to.

His mind was changed once he took notice of the two sleeping figures. He wondered why Ossan decided to fall asleep on a chair of all places. _‘Whatever.’_ He was about to proceed to his designated room, when Ossan stirred from his quick nap.

“Shirosaki? Already back?”

“Che!” Shirosaki scoffed at Ossan’s questions. “Of course. It was a really low-level insect, albeit a large one. Are you awake or do you want to go back to sleep?” Internally he was praying the older male would want to sleep, but his instincts were telling him otherwise. He was right. Ossan uttered no words, however he stood from the chair and made way towards Shirosaki’s room.

Another groan was all he received from Shirosaki, who, nonetheless, went after the other. Once behind partly closed doors’, they resumed the spots from that afternoon.

“I presume you noticed the lack of the local Shinigami.” Were Ossan’s first words, not so much a question as a statement.

“Yeah, I expected for the Shinigami to at least pop-up at one point since I got rid of the annoyance with a Cero. The freaking weakling, I did not even have the need to change. But, yes. And by the way things are, I am sure we won’t be seeing a Shinigami for a while.”

Surprised at the other’s notion, Ossan inquired. “Why do you say so?”

Shirosaki gave out a huff before continuing. “It only makes sense, considering the local idiot was either killed or called back to Soul Society.”

A stern look from Ossan was Shirosaki received telling him to continue.

“After dispatching the Hollow, I kind of noticed a weak residue at the outskirts of town. It was at the border of a nearby city. The traces were of a Shinigami. Whoever it was, he or she did not die in peace. I could sense a lot of fright. The worst thing is I couldn’t say who or what attacked the Shinigami. It could have been anything at this point. Not that we will ever find out. Whatever was left of the reiatsu is already all gone. By the time I came, it was already partially gone. By the time I went away, there was nothing left.”

Nothing was said for a few minutes, both considering this unusual occurrence. Shirosaki was getting tired again, while Ossan’s brain was working a mile per minute.

_‘A Shinigami killed between two cities. Who could have been in charge of either. Perhaps the lack of Shinigami is due to a meeting considering the circumstances. If Shirosaki was unable to trace anything, even at its weakest point… It stands to conclude that the Shinigami too were unsuccessful. The attack on the old mansion and now this… Something’s fishy. The timing of all these events is way too tight to be mere coincidence. The main problem, who is behind all this? Is it the same person or is there more? Is there something we are not seeing?’_

Deciding to find out more he spoke up.

“Shirosaki. Would you consider the probability for these incidents to be somehow connected?”

Shirosaki was startled from his half-asleep state thought about the whole thing for a bit of time. Finally, he remarked.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. The attack on the mansion was the doing of Quincy, the incident with the Shinigami could be the work of the same group, but it doesn’t have to be. Whoever was the poor bastard, was really scared. At this point it is utterly impossible to get anything else. If you want, I can take us there and we can search for more clues. However, everything was so very dim. There was no indication that the Shinigami even made an investigation. If we go there and the Shinigami arrive, what would you do? They are not aware either one of us is alive. Well, not that they ever cared about me. In their eyes I’m just a lowly Hollow and what not. But if someone was to see you and report it to the Sōtaichō… Well, do I have to elaborate?”

Shirosaki was right. If the Sōtaichō knew he was around, though just a fragment, it would cause chaos and mayhem. He was sure the seal would be investigated to see how he managed to escape. Not that he did in the first place. At least not alone. Had it not been for…

_‘I would be sealed with no knowledge of the changes that happened. I wouldn’t have known about **Ichigo’s** death or about **Soren**. I’ll have to thank **him** , next time we meet. If we end up seeing each again.’_

“Hmm. In that case it wouldn’t be wise for me to analyze the area and look for clues. Can I entrust you with that task?” Seeing Shirosaki’s displeased face, he prudently added. “Of course, not at this time. Perhaps in the morning.”

Shirosaki nodded his head in agreement, visibly more at ease knowing that he would get some more rest. “That’s not such a bad idea. Just don’t forget we have to first check your old place, one more look at the mansion wouldn’t hurt either and there is Masaki-chan to consider. I don’t think it would be fair to drag her all over. We should think of a place where she could be safe while we do all these things. As for the Shinigami… There’s not much we can do. I can go back and monitor what will happen. Honestly, I think there is no point in involving ourselves, if we can avoid it. If either one of us gets caught, it’ll get messy really fast.”

Ossan thought about it and agreed. It would be rough to care for Masaki while inconspicuously doing everything they’re planning. The more he thought about it, the more he was hoping she will agree to stay with the Ishida’s. Convincing them to welcome her in their family shouldn’t be difficult, however accepting Shirosaki’s presence… That would be a challenge.

“Shirosaki, how would you take the idea of working separately? We can cover more ground and get better results.”

Shirosaki noticed there was more to Ossan’s words. Not that he would mind to spend some solo time. He missed being in action, even more to do things his way without Ossan around.

“Very well. We can split the duties in the morning. Or we can do it now, it’s what two thirty in the morning? We’ve done arrangements at worse times.” Shirosaki added with a hint of sarcasm and his classic smile.

Ossan was aware of the sarcasm, but decided to ignore it, as usual. “Why don’t we agree now then? I’ll take care of Masaki and all her needs including shopping, relocation and paperwork should it be required. I will leave you with the Shinigami business and the manor. We will have to do the palace as a team, so we’ll leave that as the last task. We can meet here or we can regroup somewhere else, your choice.”

A tick formed on Shirosaki’s left eyebrow. He didn’t miss the fact that all the hard work was dumped on him. On the other hand, he would avoid the shopping and all the tedious complications shopping sprees included in their package… He lightly groaned.

“Fine, whatever. We can meet here. We don’t know how long it will take us to complete our tasks. And there is no way in hell I’ll be waiting in front of a forest. At least here we can get some food and rest.”

Ossan readily agreed. He too preferred to wait in comfort rather than in the open, especially with recent events.

“In that case, I believe we have settled everything. Good night Shirosaki.”

Ossan stood and would have left the room, hadn’t it been for the next uttered words.

“What are we going to do, if one of us gets caught? We’ve never considered that as an option. I don’t believe it will happen, but having a plan B would certainly be favorable. What do you think?”

There are no words that could describe Ossan’s reaction to that statement. Indeed, they’ve never had any need for a second strategy. All in all, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to at least have some way of knowing for sure if the other party was in trouble. The disturbing thing being the fact that the suggestion was made by Shirosaki. For Shirosaki to made such a proposition must mean his instincts were on high alert. That on itself raised his personal red flags. To reassure himself, he expanded his senses for any activity. Nothing. He sensed nothing at all, at the exception of the random human with higher reiatsu and a few plus souls roaming around. That was a relieve. Had there been nothing to feel at all, he would have been really concerned. That would mean someone was trying to manipulate their senses and they could not afford something similar. Not when there was an unknown threat out there aiming at his family members and possibly at Shinigami.

Back on track. They needed to come up with a system of sorts. Then a sudden answer came to mind.

“How about we use a regular item? We can choose an object and carry it with us. Should something occur, we infuse the inanimate gadget with a reiatsu message for one another and drop it on the spot. The only problem is to make sure no one else can either feel or read the message. Hmm. There is the option to share something we’ve had for a while, imbue our reiatsu and I can work a delicate way of preventing others from detecting the real purpose of the artifact.”

Shirosaki was deep in though. So many things happened in such a short time. It was only normal for his instincts to go haywire. The proposal was not bad and if Ossan could really take care of the details, then why not? People do say ‘Better safe than sorry’ for a reason, right?

The only drawback would be the item. There was only one thing he had carried with him for a long time, his necklace. Well, not so much the necklace itself, more like the pendant on it. A black onyx dragon encompassing a crescent moon shaped white Howlite. Its’ eyes, two blood red rubies. It was a remarkable and unique piece. Handcrafted. It was a present, one of the few rare gifts he still held close to him, unperturbed by the endless flow of time. It used to have a twin, crafted by the same expert, but inverted in colors. A white Howlite dragon with dark markings and amber eyes, encompassing a black onyx crescent moon.

Ichigo… _his_ Ichigo had made the request to the master craftsman for the two pieces to be made. He wanted to share a part of his being with Shirosaki, without disrupting the balance of his soul. The black dragon was to represent ‘Kurosaki’, his surname. The white crescent moon both Shirosaki and his Zanpakuto Zangetsu. And lastly, the rubies displayed Ichigo’s connection to his family as well as part of the black and red reiatsu of his attacks.

Shirosaki found out about _his_ plan by chance. He, sort of, invaded his quarters. He liked the idea and was determined to make sure _he_ too could have something alike. In the end, the twin pendant, in a similar fashion, represented Shirosaki. The white dragon, well, that really doesn’t take a genius to figure out. The onyx crescent moon, portrayed both _him_ and _his_ Zanpakuto Zangetsu. Yes, both Ichigo and himself had a Zanpakuto named Zangetsu. Twin Zanpakuto! Figures. The amber eyes a manifestation of Shirosaki’s eyes as well as his Hollow side.

The day the pendants were done was the most amazing day of his existence. Shirosaki got the black dragon and _he_ received the white dragon. A memory he would cherish for the rest of times.

You can only imagine his predicament at having to give such an important item away. Not only to give it to Ossan, or anyone else for that matter. But to also risk its’ loss. Hell no! He would have to find another trinket.

“Ossan, I’m inclined to both like and hate the idea. I have no remarks against using a ‘random’ thing, but something we’ve had for a while? I disagree with that part. If you can figure out how to apply this technique on any object, then you’ve got a deal. If not, we’ll have to figure out something else.”

Ossan could see the seriousness behind Shirosaki’s words. He wondered if Shirosaki still had a grip on the pendant. Yes, he too was aware of the creation of the pendants. After all, he was the King of Quincy and back in those times a King of a powerful region. Thus, the craft master had been an old acquaintance and a good friend. He did not know what was the purpose behind the shared items. But there was no mistaking that look. They must be indispensable. Thinking about it, since they were made, not once had he seen _him_ without the pendant around his neck. _‘It would be better not to push the matter any further. Maybe I should tell Shirosaki the other piece is temporarily in my possession. Hmm. No. There is still the off chance of Ichigo’s rebirth. So long as there is that possibility, I will most certainly not mention anything about the item.’_

Agreeing with his personal demons, Ossan finally looked at Shirosaki.

“That would be a first. Nevertheless, I can try. Does anything come to mind?”

Shirosaki visibly relaxed at the change of plan. He thought about it and rummaged throughout his luggage. Searching for an insignificant thing, which would raise no suspicions if dropped or ‘lost’. Aha! A pen. A really plain blue point pen with no markings. Perfect! He did like the ink of this one. The only reason why he had it for a bit of time. Pens did have this stupid pattern where the ink would be consumed pretty fast. He had been forced to change a bazillion pens in just the recent years!

“How about this? It wouldn’t be abnormal for a guy to carry a pen. Not to mention to ‘discard’ it. Anyone in their right mind would think I dropped it because it didn’t work or something along those lines.”

Ossan agreed with Shirosaki’s choice and took the offered pen. For him, since they were choosing in this manner, he would use a white button.

“Very well, a blue pen for you and a white button for me. I will go and work things out. You get some more rest. See you in a few hours.”

With that Ossan left the room and Shirosaki laid back. Not even a minute afterwards he was dead asleep.

* * *

Sun shone through the window next to Masaki, who woke up refreshed after falling asleep on the second occasion last night. She looked around and noticed both adjoining rooms were quiet, a small gap indicated neither were fully closed, but did give her enough privacy. She was glad she was not alone. Standing up she made her way to the restroom for her morning routine. Once she finished, she glanced at the nightstand watch.

_‘Hmm, nine in the morning, huh? I can order something to eat for all three of us. It’s been several hours since our last meal.’_

She approached each room to double check if the occupants were indeed sleeping or just not morning persons. Judging by the gentle breaths coming from Shirosaki’s room, he was out like a light. She carefully moved toward the elder male’s room, still debating how to call the Heika. She just could not persuade herself to call him ‘Ossan’. Maybe she could try with ‘Kurosaki-kun’ or ‘Kurosaki-san’? But it sounded so weird. She’ll go with ‘Kurosaki-sama’ and see how it goes.

As she reached the door to the older man, a pulse of reiatsu danced across her skin. It was such a calm output, as thought someone was trying to coerce a wounded animal to come closer. That was odd. She peeked through the small opening and found that Kurosaki-sama was working at the dressing table over some something. She could not tell what he was working on, but opted not to disturb. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel mean or wicked. Just like the man, it felt pleasant and soothing.

Opening the drawer to her dressing table, she soon found the room service menu. It then came to her, she had no idea what the other two might like. Not wanting to bother either male, she went along and ordered a bit of everything.

Less than half an hour later, the bell at the door signified the arrival of their order. She went to open the door, when she was stopped by Kurosaki-sama.

“Please, allow me.” Were his words.

Not suspecting anything, she let the other do as he pleased.

Ossan quickly checked the reiatsu of the person on the opposite side. Confirming it was just a human, he opened the door and allowed the server in. It was the same bellman from yesterday.

“A very good morning Sir and little Miss. I hope you spent a pleasant night. Here is your order. Is there anything else I may do for You?” Inquired the overly excited young man, not knowing he unintentionally roused the still ‘sleeping demon’ from his slumber. If there was one thing Shirosaki abhorred, it was to be awoken when resting.

Ossan reassured the young one that everything was fine and ushered the poor soul out of the room in hopes that Shirosaki would not see the culprit of his unwanted wake-up call. He was just in time, for as soon as he closed the door after the bellman, Shirosaki emerged from his room. Fury was written all over his face. Still dressed in his pajamas and hair in a mess.

Not knowing the situation, Masaki cheerfully called out “Good morning Shirosaki-san!”

Ossan was preparing for a rather loud argument. But, it ended up rather calmly. All and any annoyance dissipated from Shirosaki’s face once he smelled breakfast. Instead of fighting with the girly, he simply replied with a good morning of his own.

Astonished, yet getting used to being surprised, Ossan’s thoughts ran all over the place.

_‘It looks like Masaki’s presence is keeping Shirosaki’s temper at bay. This is getting more and more interesting by the minute. I wonder if he would go shopping with the girl, if she was to ask?’_

Breakfast was enjoyed in blissful silence. Once finished, Ossan informed Masaki of the day’s activities.

“Well then, I believe it’s time to start the day accordingly. Masaki, dear, we need to get you your own clothes and other necessities. So, our first task is going to be shopping. I will be accompanying you as Shirosaki is going to be busy today. After that, as promised, I will take you to visit your cousins, the Ishida’s. We will then return to the inn and meet Shirosaki here. Is this acceptable?”

Ossan’s words were lost on the little girl since the moment the word ‘shopping’ was spoken. Just like any teenager girl, she was excited and looking forward to the colorful stores full of all kinds of things to see and explore.

Shirosaki sweat dropped at the face the girl was making. He swore she was drooling, which in turn made him shiver. He was no coward, but he hated shopping with a passion. He could go when he needed something, but it took him no time at all to find what he needed. His shopping was: enter the store, get what you need from the list and get out. No extra purchases, no wasted time. In and out, simple. He went crazy at times when Ossan helped the occasional lady in picking up one piece of fabric from twenty. It was beyond his understanding.

Masaki was very eager to be on the way. Jumping out of the chair she started dragging the older male out of the room, only to remember she had to brush her teeth after the meal. She literally pushed poor Ossan to his room, so he could change and prepare. All the time Shirosaki had his grin firmly placed on his face. Hell, this was a lot of fun in his books. Even better, he did not need to participate. He did go to his room for a change and to do his morning business.

He came out dressed in a navy blue and white two-faced dress-shirt, dark jeans and white ankle boots. If he felt like it, he would take his black leather jacket. Ossan was next to come out dressed in his classic white shirt, black slacks and black shoes. He opted for a long gray coat. Masaki was the last one out, dressed in an overly large black and white tracksuit, compliments from Shirosaki’s luggage and white tennis shoes. The tracksuit was the only thing that she could somehow wear without looking ridiculous.

Seeing everyone was ready, they left the room, locked the door and went their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter VI done ^.^
> 
> Looking forward to any and all criticism, just please don’t hate :3
> 
> FYI: no hard feelings people, but I personally dislike shopping sprees. I like to go in, take what I need and like and get out. More than one hour and I go all nuts. Also, my sense of fashion is not the best in the world so I will apologize in advance for my lack of imagination xD
> 
> Quick recap: English is not my mother language so if I made any mistakes or any errors, please let me know. I am the writer and the spell-check person all in one. I’m getting the feeling this is getting old, but I love feeling safe xD
> 
> Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this story on fanfiction URL: https: // www. fanfiction. net/s/12753765/1/ One-Love-Endless-Time  
> Please note the story is not complete neither here nor there.  
> I was encouraged to post my chapters here as well by a fabulous follower/reviewer from fanfiction ZooFan. Should you like my work, please give a thumbs up to ZooFan as well for recommending this site :)
> 
> Alright peps. That’s it for the first chapter. Chapter 2 will come out soon (at least I hope).  
> Hope you liked it. I am looking forward to any and all criticism, just please don’t hate :3  
> Just to let everyone know, English is not my mother language so if I made any mistakes or any errors, please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to fix any slip-ups. I am the writer and the spellcheck person all in one. so let me know if I missed something along the way I’m only human xD  
> Wishing everyone a great day/night ahead :)


End file.
